Hilltop picnics in Toro
Continuing our attempt at seeing all the small
towns in our area we ventured to Toro for an afternoon of nature walks and
Patatas Bravas (fried potatos in a spicy sauce). We had heard of Toro before and even made a quick
stop at the bus station a couple times when travelling to Zamora but we had yet
to actually explore the town itself. So
as it had been recommended to us by a couple of our trusted friends we made it
our mission to explore last weekend.
Toro is an ancient town in a famous wine
producing region on the Duero River. The
wine here is said to be incredibly full bodied.
Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon) took nothing but Toro wines with
him on his journey to the Americas.
We were able to get a bus to and from Valladolid for
15 Euros each. The ride was about an
hour through a less than thrilling countryside.
I sometimes find myself quite car sick on long trips so I was just
itching to get off the bus so when Ross said this is our stop I practically ran
off the bus. Once standing outside however
I knew something wasn’t right (I am pretty sure we were in a ghost town – but not
a fun and exciting one) and Ross felt the same. He ran back to the bus and
asked the driver if this was the only stop in Toro. Turns out we were not even there yet. It was still another 10 km or so up the
road. In this part of Spain the parts in
between cities are flat and dry so that would have been a long and boring
walk.
Main street
Toro itself is a cute town although quite small
so it took us only an hour to really see the whole city. The main strip had lots of interesting local wine
shops and bars. It always amazes me when
we travel to different cities how similar they all are though. Tapas bars with all the same menus and no
people out during the afternoon. How can
you have a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon and nobody outside? I love to explore and see the Cathedrals of
course but I have eaten more Patatas Bravas and seen more closed up shops then
I could ever have imagined in my life.
Main street
The one thing I found very beautiful about the
town was the surrounding countryside. Was surprised at how amazing it was
considering the flatness of the drive there.
Gorgeous hills and a picturesque river flowing behind the city. We spent most of our afternoon wandering around
this area. We sat on top of one of the
hills and had a bit of bread and hummus while just soaking in the
sunshine. It was the perfect place for a
late fall photo shoot!
Countryside
Attempting to raise a zombie army...Never works
My handsome man
Spain ...
The river is quite wide at this juncture so we
got to walk across a long ancient bridge which was peaceful and very pretty. We stood and looked over the side for a long
while and watched the herons, hawks and storks gliding over the water and searching
for food. Yes we are old we like to bird
watch and we are not ashamed of it! Being
in nature is good for the soul and honestly just watching a bird glide so
smoothly over the water gives me a sense of calm I do not get anywhere else.
Duero River
River path
Duero River
After exploring the river and small bit of
foresty area we wandered back up the hill into town. I should mention if you ever do find yourself
here the “hill” I am talking about feels more like a mountain when the sun is
beating down on you in the middle of the day.
So be prepared to break out in a wee bit of a sweat.
Hill is much taller than it appears
We went to a Tapas bar and had some Patatas and
Ross tried some of the local wine. He ended
up being quite enamoured by it and decided to splurge and get a good bottle
from one of the shops. It is funny
because buying an expensive bottle of wine here means spending 7 euros instead
of the 1 or 2 you might normally spend at the grocery shops!
Last look at the main street
It was a nice little adventure and worth the trip
just for the beautiful scenery behind the town.
I think it is a worth while place to check out for an afternoon.
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